Banks' loan-loss reserves seen jumping 50 percent in FASB proposal

Published 8:27 am, Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Bloomberg News

Banks' loan-loss reserves may jump about 50 percent under a proposed U.S. accounting-rule change that redefines how quickly firms must recognize bad debts, standard-setters said.

The Norwalk-based Financial Accounting Standards Board's proposed rule, revising a February draft, pushes banks to start recognizing losses on loans, debt securities and other financial receivables when firms see early signs of potential loss. The policy would move from an "incurred loss" model to an "expected loss" model, similar to changes under consideration by the International Accounting Standards Board, which sets the rules used in most nations outside the U.S.

FASB's estimate shows banks probably would need to boost reserves by billions of dollars if the new rule is implemented. JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank by assets, had $24 billion in its allowance for credit losses at the end of September. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America Corp., ranked No. 2, had $26 billion.

Spokesmen for Bank of America, New York-based JPMorgan and Citigroup Inc., the third-largest U.S. bank, declined to comment.

The FASB draft is open for comment until April 30. Even if the final proposal is adopted next year, it probably won't take effect before 2015, according to a person with knowledge of the plans, who requested anonymity because the timing wasn't announced. The effective date was left blank in the Dec. 20 draft.

The accounting board is looking to change how reserves and asset values are measured after the financial crisis forced lenders to devote capital to losses, leaving some of the world's largest banks struggling to meet regulatory thresholds and remain solvent.